Don't Ask!
by NettieC
Summary: Harm's mother sets him up on a date and he can't believe who it is or what she was thinking.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: the usual legalese

AN: This was inspired by an episode of Everyone Loves Raymond and in my head it was going to be comedy...didn't turn out that way but them's the breaks!

Thanks, Beth!

-Don't Ask -

Embarrassed? No.

Humiliated? No.

Horrified? No.

Harmon Rabb could not think of the most appropriate word to describe the current emotion coursing through him. Deciding mortified was the most apt, his next task was to extract himself from the situation he had found himself in with as much dignity and grace as he could.  
"Harm, are you alright?" asked Kelly, his blonde dinner companion, with a distinct southern drawl.  
"Ah, yes, I'm fine," he replied with a lie, his heart and mind racing.

Picking up his water, Harm took a few gulps. It didn't help matters. Neither did Kelly's gesture of reaching out and patting his hand. Shaking his head, Harm couldn't believe he was in this situation, worse still, it was his mother who had done this to him.

'This' situation was a blind date his mother had organised for him to go on. Well, technically, it wasn't a blind date as such, but Kelly was a colleague in his mother's gallery who was single, delightful, his mother's words, and visiting DC alone for the purposes of business. She had said that Kelly was a good match for him and she was sure they would hit it off. Trish had spoken highly of Kelly and he had seen no harm in going out for dinner, especially as Mac was TAD and had been for a month and wasn't due back until Tuesday week leaving him at a loose end.

It was Harm who had chosen the restaurant. The Crown was a favourite of his and Mac's and while it was a little more expensive, it had a more intimate feel and you could engage in conversation without the overwhelming noise which was plaguing some of the local eateries lately. Besides, he was doing this as a favour to his mother and decided the extra expense would earn him bonus points. Now, he would give anything for pounding noise, impersonal surrounds and maybe a trap door underneath his seat.

Kelly was everything his mother had described; well spoken, educated, tall, blonde, with pleasant features, clear blue eyes and a winning smile. It seemed his mother had covered all the bases but one – Kelly was a man. Well, two actually – Kelly was a gay man. And right at this moment, he didn't even want to know whether his mother thought he was gay or not as he was too busy trying to work out a plan of escape.

"I'm not who you expected, am I?" Kelly finally asked when Harm hadn't spoken, except for introductions, since Kelly had slipped into the seat opposite.  
"Um, no, you're not," Harm replied honestly.  
"Anything specific?" he asked. "You're just as your mom described, so I figured her description of me would have been accurate."  
"She was quite accurate," he answered, his focus everywhere but on his 'date'. "Just left out the important fact that you are male."  
"Oh!" Kelly's eyes widened. "You were expecting a woman?"  
"Ah, yeah," he said with a nod. "Mom was talking this up as a date and so, yeah, I was expecting a woman."  
"But you're gay," he stated simply. "At least that's what Trish said."  
"She what?" Harm nearly choked on the water he was drinking.  
"Well, she didn't say it in so many words," he said, not sure if he should be embarrassed or amused by the situation and the obvious discomfit of his dinner companion.  
"Which words did she use exactly?" he asked, wondering if it was possible to kill her long distance.  
"Trish indicated that you had lots of 'relationships' with um... how did she put it, 'women of little substance'. She said they didn't last long and as you were fast approaching 40 she had to wonder if they were just a facade," Kelly replied honestly.  
"I'm 37," he said, it was the only retort coming to him. "And seeing someone..." he added as an afterthought.  
"Trish did mention that," Kelly conceded with a nod. "Someone by the name of Mac, right?" Harm nodded in agreement. "She said that she had never met or seen a photo of you and this Mac, and, while you refer to Mac with feminine pronouns, Trish thinks maybe you're just doing that for her benefit."  
"I am not!" he snapped, not quite believing his evening had gone this way. "Her name is Sarah MacKenzie, she's a Marine Colonel and a woman," he added, just in case Kelly hadn't got the information from his first clues.  
"Settle, petal," Kelly said with a wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter to me either way but you might want to talk to your mother."

Harm took a long drink before placing the glass back on the table. "She really thinks I'm gay?"  
"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I think she's looking for reasons you haven't settled down and given her grandchildren."  
"And that leads her to thinking I'm gay...not that there's anything wrong with it," he added quickly.  
Kelly smirked. "And I bet you know lots of gay people..." he said, adding the second most uttered line when straight people were flustered by the topic of being gay.  
"Yes, well...no, actually," Harm amended. "I know one...well, I know one who has told me she is gay ...I know statistically I must know more but they have never said anything and the Navy had a 'Don't ask. Don't tell' policy in place and really, it was none of my business anyway and ..."  
"Take a breath, Harm," Kelly said with a laugh.  
"Look, I don't want to be rude or insulting," Harm said quietly. "After all, your lifestyle is your business, just like mine is mine. I'm just a bit...bit..."  
"Flustered about your mother outing you?" he said, picking up his drink.  
"Yes," Harm said with a nod before realising what he'd just agreed with. "No! She hasn't outed me because I'm not gay...right?"  
"If you say so," Kelly laughed. "Shame," he continued with a sigh. "Tall, dark, handsome, lawyer, pilot ...you're quite the catch and I would have loved to have had the opportunity to 'catch' you." With his cheeks flushed, Harm didn't know whether to be flattered or crawl under the table. "Look," Kelly continued, "I know you are finding this difficult. I won't take offense if you want to leave."

With his first genuine smile of the night, Harm contemplated fleeing from the restaurant but he still needed to eat and figured staying was probably the best thing to do. Well, it was the politest thing considering Kelly was a stranger in town.  
"Well, now we know this isn't a date," he whispered, lest he be overheard, "There's no reason we can't enjoy the food...and a few drinks."  
"True," he replied, shaking his head. "Just as shame...we could do with a sexy man like you on our side..."

As the evening wore on, Harm actually found he was enjoying Kelly's company. The man had an adventurous side his mother hadn't mentioned and often spent weekends and vacations hiking, scuba diving, rock climbing, sailing and participating in a wide range of outdoor pursuits that Harm had often thought about doing but had never had the time. By the time the last of their coffee had been drunk, both had offered to share their pursuits next time the opportunity arose.

Standing outside the restaurant, Kelly declined a ride to his hotel citing it was only two blocks away. They had shaken hands and said their goodbyes before Kelly brought them back to the first topic of the night.  
"It's a shame you're not gay," he said with a sigh. "I think we could have been great together."  
"Ah, yeah, okay," Harm muttered. "So, goodnight then."

Home, Harm started pacing as he thought about calling his mother. What would he say to her? What was she thinking? Did she really think he was gay? Did she really think Mac was a man? Did she ... did she ... did she know just how rattled he now was? Then he thought about not calling her, not until tomorrow or the day after. Maybe he'd wait until she called him and tell her they had gotten along famously and had plans to see each other again, which technically they had, and judge what her reaction was to that. He just wouldn't mention the extremely uncomfortable beginning of the night.

Deciding to do the later, Harm went and showered before slipping between the sheets. Thinking about the night all over again, Harm was jolted out of his thoughts when his phone rang; it was his mother.  
"Kelly texted me to say you had had a great night and to thank me for setting it up," Trish said without greeting, something very unusual for her, as to was getting straight to the point.  
"He was right, mom," Harm said, emphasising the 'he'. "We had so much in common."  
"You did?" she questioned. "Really?"  
"Really," he confirmed. "That's why you set us up, wasn't it?" He smirked when he heard a flustered mumbling from his mother. "Wasn't it, mom?" he repeated when she hadn't spoken.  
"Well...um...yes, I guess it was," she said, shaking her head.  
"I must admit, I was a little shocked you'd sent me on a blind date with a man," he continued. "But, well, mothers know best, right?"  
"So, are you saying...what exactly are you saying?" Trish asked, her mind spinning.  
"Well, I had never thought of dating men before," he said. "Especially as I am involved with Mac and 'she' doesn't like me having relationships on the side but if you think Kelly's the one for me, maybe I have to re-evaluate my 'orientation'."  
"Harmon!" she said sharply. "Are you telling me you are homosexual or not?"  
"Does it make a difference?" he countered, now with the upper hand. "You think I am ...so maybe I am."  
"I don't think you are, really!" she said quickly.  
"Not what you told Kelly," he replied. "Imagine my surprise to find my date is a man and my mother thinks I'm gay."  
"I may have said it but I don't believe it," she said. "I just figured there has to be a reason you haven't found 'the one' and thought that if there was any chance you were ...homosexual...that maybe you'd enjoy your time with Kelly and be able to tell me. I mean I wouldn't tell anyone else... I know all about 'Don't ask. Don't tell.' I just want you to be happy, truly happy, and if it happens to be with a man...then, I can live with that. I love you very much...either way...you know, and ..."  
"Mom," Harm interrupted to stop the rambling. "For the record, I am not gay...not that there's anything wrong with that. Kelly is a great guy and we both have a passion for outdoor recreational activities. I am seeing Mac and you have seen photos ... the woman who has appeared in some of the photos I've sent you from balls and christenings is Mac."  
"Those photos were labelled 'Sarah and Harm'," Trish interjected.  
"Sarah MacKenzie – Mac," he said pointedly. "It is a masculine name but, mom, as you can see by the photos there is nothing masculine about her."  
"No, no, there's not," Trish conceded. "So why are you nearly 40 and haven't settled down?"  
Harm drew a deep breath. It was a question he'd asked himself a lot lately. "Lots of reasons, mom," he said quietly. "A fear of commitment is one," he said deciding to be honest with her, and himself. "Maybe a fear of being abandoned...again. Of not being good enough for her. Of ... of not being able to love her like she deserves..."  
"Oh, sweetheart," she said in a sigh. "Does...um...does Sarah know about these fears?"  
"She knows about some but she has fears of her own, so it's a slow process," he said, amazed he was having an open, candid discussion about his love life with his mother. Oh well, this evening was proving there was definitely a first for everything. "But we are working on it."  
"I'm glad to hear that, son," she said. "I like her more than that Renee woman already. I could never fathom what you saw in her."  
"She wasn't that bad, mom," he said in Renee's defence.  
"Well, the one time I met her I thought she was very ... artificial," Trish explained, trying to choose her words carefully. "And you saw her for what, a year? I just couldn't understand the attraction. Your attraction to her, I mean. I know what she saw in you."  
"Renee was always good at getting what she wanted and she had decided she wanted me. She loved me...was in love with me...I thought that would be enough," he said, as his mind wandered down memory lane.  
"Did you love her?" Trish asked, quietly.  
"Yes, I think on some level I did," he replied honestly. "But I wasn't in love with her and she knew that."  
"You dated her for a year and you weren't in love with her?" she sounded exasperated.  
"How could I be?" he countered. "You can't be in love with two people at once and ..."  
"You were already in love with Mac?" Trish offered and Harm answered in the affirmative. "Harmon, that was five years ago...how long have you been seeing Mac now?"  
"Three months...two if you take out this last month she's been TAD," he said, closing his eyes and sighing. God, he missed her.  
"You've been in love with her for five years and ..." she began, trying to understand her son.  
"It's been longer than five years, mom," he interjected. "I can't say when exactly I fell in love with her but it feels like forever ago."  
"I'm so glad to hear it," Trish said with a smile. "Above all else in this world, I want you to be happy, to be settled and content."  
"Thanks, mom," he replied softly. "I appreciate that."  
"So, Mac...any chance I'll get to meet her?" she asked with a grin. In her heart she knew that this was the woman who would become her daughter-in-law and she loved her already.  
"Every chance, mom," he answered with a smile. "She is the one for me and so long as I don't screw things up or take on an alternative lifestyle, she will be by my side forever."  
"Oh, Harm," Trish said tearfully. "I've never heard you talk like this before."  
"That's because we've never talked like this before," he replied as he tried to stifle a yawn.  
"True," she conceded. "But we should ...talk like this more often, about the important things in life."  
"I agree," he said. Once, he would have cringed and considered it a chore to talk to his mother about such personal things but tonight's call had been quite an eye-opener.

After Harm had yawned twice, Trish decided to end the call.  
"Well, I'll let you go to bed and, Harm, I'm sorry about Kelly...and all of that," she apologised.  
"That's alright, mom, you didn't mean any harm," he conceded. "But maybe next time could you talk directly to me about me."  
"I will," she said, with a nod Harm couldn't see. "I promise."

With goodbyes and 'I love you's', the call was concluded and Harm hung up the phone and reclined in his bed. What he wouldn't do for Mac to be here right now. Over the course of their partnership and friendship, he had always missed her when she was out of town, or when they were on the outs but now they were in a relationship and he missed her deeply and desperately. On several occasions he had called her apartment, just so he could hear her voice on the answering machine.

Still, she had another week to go, eight days to be precise. He knew this as it was the first and last thing he thought of each day, that and the fact she had put a countdown clock app on his phone and programmed her return date. Once a day it sent him a reminder as to how many days there were to go...it was always too many.

Closing his eyes, he thought of what they could do had she been in bed with him. It was easy to imagine that he would strip her clothes from her in a slow and sensual manner – that or just tear them from her body. Then he would devote a good portion of the night, and the rest of his life, worshipping every dip and curve of her amazing body.

With a newfound sense of masculine pride and an overwhelming desire for the woman who was the world to him, Harm yawned before letting his mind drift to an extremely pleasant place.

Content, yet unsatisfied with his meanderings, Harm rolled over and yawned once more. Little more than a minute later a knock on the door disturbed him. Grumbling to himself, Harm pulled on his robe to hide the evidence of his thought processes and headed to the door.

Opening it, he was ecstatic to find it was Mac. Not giving her a chance to speak, nor to even step into the loft, Harm took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly, passionately, deeply and very, very thoroughly.  
"Wow!" was all she could mutter when he finally pulled back and caressed her face. "Wow! I should come home early more often. What was that for?"  
Harm pulled her close and brushed his lips over hers once more. He contemplated all which had happened that night and simply said, "Don't ask."


	2. Don't Tell!

Disclaimer: Still not mine...sadly.

The response should have been "Thank you so much for the invitation, it is very kind of you. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it as I am tied up with this conference." Instead, "Thank you so much," was all Mac got out before Trish excitedly spewed out all the details and Mac felt she had no other choice but to attend rather than disappoint Harm's mother.

"Damn, Harm," she muttered to herself as she pulled up her rental car in front of a rather grand looking house with ocean frontage. "Why did you even tell her I was in town?"

After the infamous 'Kellydate' as Harm had coined it, there were now regular phone calls from coast to coast between mother and son. It was during such a call two nights previous that Harm had mentioned Mac would be at Camp Pendleton for a few days for a series of administrative meetings. Trish had instantly suggested she invite Mac for a home cooked dinner and he had given his mom Mac's cell number before he'd even considered her thoughts to such an invitation.

Knowing she couldn't stay in the car all night and not wanting to keep her hosts waiting, Mac climbed out of the car and headed to the door. Pausing before she pressed the doorbell, Mac realised she should have picked up some sort of gift – flowers sprung to mind.

'Oh, well, too late now,' she thought to herself as she heard the door opening.

It was an excited flurry of greetings which met Mac and when Trish excused herself to put the final touches to dinner, Frank apologised on his wife's behalf.

"She means no harm, Sarah," he said, guiding her into the dining room. "She is just so excited to meet you."

"I'm excited to meet her too...and you," Mac said with a smile before the chatter turned to everyday things.

It wasn't long before Trish came into the room carrying a large tray with their meals. "Roast beef and all the trimmings, Sarah," she said as she placed the plate in front of her. "Harm mentioned you like your meat, so I'm hoping it's to your liking."

"I'm sure it will be lovely," she said with a genuine smile. "It smells absolutely divine."

"Won't be a moment," Trish said before she disappeared through the door once more. True to her word she reappeared almost instantly carrying the gravy boat before offering it to Mac. "And there's a range of condiments on the table. Please help yourself, dear."

If the smell was divine, the taste was heavenly. Mac couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything as nice and she found it hard to keep up with the conversation and not drool over the meal in front of her. Understandably, most of the conversation was about Harm and Mac thoroughly enjoyed hearing some happy and cute stories about the man she loved. All too often their discussions of his early years had been dominated by the loss of his father and this was a pleasant change.

Just as Trish was about to serve dessert, chocolate decadence cake with whipped cream and ice-cream, as Mac had been informed, the doorbell rang. Trish continued on to the kitchen, while Frank went to the door and before long he reappeared in the dining room with a new guest for dessert.

"Sarah, this is Kelly Upton, a colleague of Trish's," Frank said as he gestured for Kelly to take a seat. "Kelly, this is Sarah MacKenzie, our son's partner. Now, I won't be a moment, I'll just let Trish know we will need another serve of dessert."

There was small talk between the two guests and Kelly soon realised that Mac had no idea who he was. This either meant Harm hadn't told her about their dinner date or that she knew but didn't make the connection. Quickly, he discounted the latter. After all, she was an intelligent, educated woman and how many males by the name of Kelly would work with Harm's mother.

Meanwhile, Frank had made his way into the kitchen and informed his wife of the newcomer.

"And you've left them alone?!" she all but shrieked.

Like Mac, Frank was also in the dark about Trish's meddling and was a little stunned when she grabbed the three plates she had already prepared and threw a rushed "Get your own" at him before she raced from the room.

Taking a deep breath, Trish tried to breeze into the dining room. "Kelly, dear, what an unexpected pleasure," she said, glancing between the two to see whether anything had been divulged. "What brings you here?" she asked as casually as she could, placing a dessert in front of him.

"This," he said, producing a letter from his shirt pocket. "It arrived at the gallery after you left and I knew you were waiting for it."

"Thank you," she replied, taking the proffered envelope. "I appreciate it."

"And I appreciate being rewarded with cake!" he said emphatically before grabbing a spoon and digging in.

The conversation was light and casual and so, when Frank left to organise coffee, Trish decided it was safe for her to clear the table. Kelly, on the other hand, decided it was time for a little fun.

"So, Mac," he said, surprising her as she had only been referred to as Sarah during the evening. "How is the delicious Harmon Rabb?"

"Ah, good, thank you," she said slowly, trying to process his words.

"Has he gotten a chance to go hiking lately?" he asked before taking another bite of his cake.

"No," Mac replied. "He's been very busy the past few weeks."

"Shame," he said with a shrug. "Outdoors, fresh air, exercise would do the man well."

"I wasn't aware that you knew Harm personally," Mac said, trying to search her brain for any memory of Harm mentioning the man in front of her.

"Oh, yes, we dated once," he answered with a wave of his hand and Mac nearly choked on her water.

"Um, sorry, I must have misheard you," she said, using the napkin to dab her mouth.

"No," he said shaking his head. "We have both had the 'pleasure' of Harmon's company." Mac definitely didn't like the suggestive intonation used with the word 'pleasure'.

Keeping an unaffected exterior, Mac's mind and heart began racing. Looking at Kelly's body language this wasn't something he was making up. This only left her with the unnerving thought that her partner, her boyfriend, the love of her life had dated Kelly...had dated a man. A man!

"Aha," was her response. "He is great company," Mac added, trying to sound as normal as usual.

"Oh, that he is, Mac," Kelly continued and Mac realised that that's how Kelly knew her nickname, Harm must have mentioned her on one of their dates. Shame he hadn't extended her the same courtesy. "And his body is just to die for..."

Nodding, Mac tried to find the right words. "I think so," she finally said.

"Well," he said, getting to his feet. "I hate to eat and run but I must dash. Please give him my love and tell him to get that cute butt of his home so we can go scuba diving."

"Oh, I will tell him that...definitely," Mac said as she too stood, fighting the urge to run screaming from this house.

After bidding her farewell, Kelly departed the dining room and Mac grabbed her handbag and retrieved her cell. As fast as her fingers could, she brought up the message screen for Harm and then, with words failing her, she dropped it back into her bag. This wasn't the type of conversation to have by text. First, she needed to digest all of what Kelly had said, then come to terms with what it meant. Then, and only then, she figured she would talk to Harm about it. With a wry grin she figured that time may well be five years from Tuesday.

One look at Mac's face when she entered the room was enough for Trish to know that Mac knew about Kelly and Harm. While she didn't know the extent of her knowledge, the look of confusion and sadness was unmistakable.

"You're not going too, are you Sarah?" she asked, moving over and taking her hand.

"Ah, yes," she said somewhat distractedly. "I need to...I have to get some notes organised for tomorrow," she lied, looking everywhere but at the woman in front of her.

"Sarah," she said, tilting her head to try and get eye contact."Did Kelly say something? About Harm?" Mac nodded. "About him and Harm?" Mac nodded again.

"Look, Trish, it really was a wonderful dinner and I hate to be rude but I really can't talk about this now. I have to go," she said, needing time and space.

"Don't blame Harm," Trish persisted. "He had no idea. I set them up...I just thought...well, I didn't think he was but ...well, he hadn't settled down ... I thought maybe it was a possibility and that he just couldn't tell me ... thought that... "

"Just what was it you did, Trish?" Frank asked, coming in behind her.

"I set Harm and Kelly up on a date," she confessed, dropping her head.

"You set them up?" Mac checked, her head spinning.

"I did," she said quietly. "I love my son, very much, and want nothing more than for him to settle down with someone he loves and have his own family. It hadn't happened with a woman, despite the number of them in his life over the years, so I thought that maybe... well, no, I didn't really think he was a homosexual but I guess I had to consider that it might be the reason."

"Trish, you and your meddling," Frank said, frustration clearly evident. "And what was our son's reaction to this date?"

"He wasn't impressed but understood why I had done it, and forgave me," she said tearfully. "Then we had a long chat about his life, something we hadn't done in a very, very long time. He told me how very much in love he was with you, Sarah, and how he had been for a very long time. I think he said it was 'forever ago' he fell in love with you."

Mac smiled and nodded; she'd fallen for him forever ago too.

"Above everything in life, I want my son to be loved and to be happy. He has those things with you, Sarah, and for that I am extremely grateful," she said, moving to embrace the woman who she knew would be her daughter-in-law one day. "And I promised him, and I promise you, I will not meddle anymore."

Very much relieved, and knowing she had nothing pressing to attend to, Mac agreed to stay for another coffee and more conversation with Harm's mother. By the time she left, she could only see the humour in the whole 'date' and could only imagine Harm's face when he realised he was on a date with a man. Oh, she was going to have so much fun with this.

For the rest of her conference and the flight home, Mac put more thought into how she would tell Harm she knew his 'secret' than anything else she was supposed to be doing. Arriving home at midday Friday and not expected at work until Monday, Mac used the few spare hours to catch up on chores and errands.

'I'm home' she had texted Harm and shortly got the reply. 'Great, can't wait to see you x'

They had made arrangements the night before for Harm to come from HQ and then they would decide on plans from there. En route, Mac had decided that takeout and bed would be the only two things on the list for the evening and the only 'plan' that needed deciding was whether they could wait for dinner before hitting the sheets.

With Harm delayed at the office, Mac had ordered dinner and timed their arrivals to coincide, which they did perfectly. It was Harm who paid the delivery guy at the door, before letting himself in with the bag of food.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called into the apartment, grinning at the cliché.

"Hi," Mac said, coming from the kitchen.

It didn't take Harm but a moment to realise she wasn't sharing his excitement in her being home. "Everything alright?" he asked, placing the food on the coffee table before walking over to her.

"Yeah, fine, thanks," she said coolly. "I'll just get..."

"No, wait," he said grabbing her arm.

"What?" she asked, not looking at him for fear of breaking out laughing.

"What's wrong?" he asked tugging her closer. "Did something happen?"

"I don't really want to talk..." she started.

"No," he interrupted."We promised each other we would communicate. That there would be no secrets, no withholding information, for whatever reason."He reminded her.

"No secrets?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No secrets," he repeated.

Leading her to the sofa, he sat down and waited for her to join him. It didn't happen and Mac remained standing on the other side of the coffee table.

"Whenever you're ready," he said, leaning back and fighting every urge to force the issue.

"I don't have any secrets," she said, her hands shoved into her jeans pockets.

"Well, wh..." he began but she interrupted him.

"I should have phrased that better," she amended. "I should have said I am not the one with secrets."

"If it's not you, then who has secrets?" he asked, confused.

"Um...you," she said quietly.

"Me?" he said, getting to his feet. "What secrets do I have?"

"Don't play games, Harm," she said. "I know."

"I'm not playing games," he said sharply. "I have no idea what you are on about."

"You don't?" Mac said, trying not to laugh. "Well, I do. I know all about Kelly ... and your ... well ... relationship."

Then she watched as Harm's face turned five different shades of red, before paling altogether.

"No, no, no," he managed to get out. "It's not like that at all."

"No? Really?" she asked. "Well, I met Kelly the other night and he tells a different story."

"What did he say?" Harm asked, walking around the table to Mac. "No, wait, I don't want to know." He grabbed her by the arms. "Mac, you have to believe me, Kelly and I don't have relationship... there's nothing between us."

"Then why would you have dated him?" she questioned, enjoying this immensely.

"I didn't!" he exclaimed.

"You mean he lied when he said your date took place at The Crown, our favourite restaurant?" she challenged.

"Well, nnno," he stammered.

"So, you did date him?" she pushed. "And when you were already dating me?"

"Mac, really, it's not like that at all," he said, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"Harm, it's one thing to cheat on me," she said, shaking her head, "But with a man...that's just ... changes everything."

"I didn't cheat on you!" he said emphatically. "I went on a blind date..."

"So, if I went on a blind date while you were away you wouldn't consider it cheating?" she questioned.

"Well, I would but it's not..." he protested.

"And the thing is, Harm, the cheating is not even the point right now. If you are gay..." she said waving her arms about.

"I am not!" he said loudly. "Despite what Kelly said and what my mom said..."

"Your mom?! What does she have to do with this?" she asked, knowing she needed to end this but having way too much fun.

"Well, it was mom who set it up..." he said wondering just what his mother's meddling would cost him.

"Your mother? I don't know if it is worse that your mother thinks it's fine for you to cheat on me or that she thinks that you are gay," Mac said before dropping her head and raising her hands to her face. Soon her whole body was shuddering and sniffles could be heard.

"Oh, Mac, please don't cry... please," he said, gently trying to raise her head.

When he did he was confused, she was laughing. "You're laughing?" he queried, not too sure of anything anymore.

"Aha," she giggled, resting her head on his chest. "Oh, Harm!" she laughed.

"What's going on?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

For a moment or two, fits of laughter were all he got. Finally, she composed herself enough to wrap her arms around him and lift her head.

"I know all about the circumstances of your 'date'," she said, a smile splitting her face. "Your mom told me."

"I had sworn her to secrecy," he said shaking his head.

"Well, I admit that when Kelly told me that you had dated and had made suggestive comments about you I was very confused and upset," she said, the smile disappearing. "I just couldn't get my head around the whole thing. Then when he left and your mom came back into the room she could tell I wasn't alright and Frank made her tell the whole story."

"And you're alright with it all now?" he questioned. "Because really there was never..."

"I know," she said, kissing him briefly. "By the time I left your parents' house I could only see the funny side."

"I'm glad you could," he said, shaking his head once more. "I mean, I know I'm not gay but the whole thing left me a little uneasy."

"Why?" she questioned, caressing his face.

"I just thought if mom was thinking that way, were others thinking that way too?" he replied, not letting her go.

"Does it matter what others think?" she prompted.

"No," he said. "But it does matter what you think."

"I do not now and have never thought you were gay," Mac said, kissing him once more. "Egotistical, self absorbed, conceited ..."

"Anything actually positive?" he asked, not liking the way this evening had gone at all.

"Gorgeous, intelligent, strong, sexy," she reeled off. "And of course, the most important one..."

"And what is that?" he asked, with a smile.

"Mine!" she said adamantly. "And I don't plan on anyone coming between us, man or woman."

"Neither do I," he replied, before kissing her again and again. "Now, can we eat?" he said, gesturing to the bag still on the coffee table.

"We can," she said, not letting him go. "But I had something else in mind..."She walked him backwards towards her room. "Unless..."

"Oh, there's no unless," he said. "It's the first place I wanted to head when I got home."

"Oh, mine too... I just couldn't resist playing with you," she said unbuttoning his shirt.

"Well, I won't resist playing with you," he said, grinning as he undid her bra. "All night long..."

Climbing into bed, Mac couldn't help but grin.

"What?" Harm asked, as he was about to slide in beside her.

"Kelly was right," she said. "You do have a body to die for."

Harm's face flushed before he shrugged, "Oh, I know," he said striking a pose. "I am incredibly sexy ... to women and men alike." He struck another pose. "

"Just remember they can all look but no one, except me, is allowed to touch," she warned, pulling him into bed with her.

"Oh, I'm sure I can remember that," he said, "Just do me a favour."

"Anything," she said as she began to place kisses across his chest.

"If anyone ever asks about this Kelly thing, please, please, please don't tell."


End file.
